David H. Souter, the former U.S. Supreme Court justice known for his reserved lifestyle and unexpected ideological shift while on the bench, has died at the age of 85. The court announced that Souter passed away Thursday at his home in New Hampshire.
Appointed in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, Souter initially appeared to be a conservative choice. However, during his nearly two decades on the Supreme Court, he often sided with the liberal wing, particularly on pivotal issues like abortion rights, church-state separation, and civil liberties. He retired in 2009, giving then-President Barack Obama the opportunity to appoint Sonia Sotomayor—the first Latina justice—to the bench.
One of Souter’s most notable dissents came in the controversial 2000 Bush v. Gore decision, which effectively determined the outcome of the presidential election in favor of George W. Bush, the son of the president who had nominated Souter.
In retirement, Souter warned about the dangers of civic ignorance, cautioning that a lack of understanding about government could lead citizens to place too much power in the hands of a single leader—drawing a historical parallel to the fall of the Roman Republic.
Known for his simple lifestyle, Souter often lunched on yogurt and an apple and avoided the Washington, D.C. social scene. He returned to his modest farmhouse in New Hampshire each summer and relished hiking in the mountains. Despite his solitude, he was deeply respected by colleagues, clerks, and friends, known for his storytelling and generosity.
Chief Justice John Roberts praised Souter’s service, saying he brought “uncommon wisdom and kindness” to his role. Even after leaving the Supreme Court, Souter continued to hear cases on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for more than ten years.
Initially viewed as a conservative, Souter surprised many by joining a key 1992 decision that upheld the constitutional right to abortion and affirmed the ban on school-sponsored prayer. This shift disappointed some on the right who had supported his nomination. Still, he resisted extreme positions, occasionally siding with conservative justices—such as in a 2008 ruling that limited punitive damages against Exxon Mobil in the wake of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Souter was also involved in a controversial 2005 ruling on eminent domain, which allowed a Connecticut city to seize private property for development. In protest, a group attempted to use the decision to evict him from his home in Weare, New Hampshire, to build a “Lost Liberty Hotel”—a proposal that was ultimately rejected by local residents.
A lifelong bachelor and intensely private person, Souter was once dubbed Washington’s most eligible single man by the Washington Post but remained uninterested in high society. He spent long hours in his Supreme Court chambers and described the beginning of each new term as undergoing an “intellectual lobotomy” due to the lack of time for leisure reading.
Before his appointment to the high court, Souter had served briefly on the federal bench and previously as New Hampshire’s attorney general. He was educated at Harvard University and earned a master’s degree as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.
Justice Souter’s legacy reflects a deep commitment to judicial independence, humility, and a thoughtful, principled approach to the Constitution.
